


In Dreams, Awake

by punk_rock_yuppie



Series: i'll tell you about the magic (it'll free your soul) [3]
Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Buzzfeed: Worth It (Web Series)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Demon!Shane, Dream Sharing, Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, Light Pain/Blood play, M/M, Multi, Podfic Welcome, Ryan is a Monster Fucker basically, Shyan Scavenger Hunt, Telepath!Ryan, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 14:49:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15608655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punk_rock_yuppie/pseuds/punk_rock_yuppie
Summary: The universe throws Ryan yet another curve ball.





	In Dreams, Awake

**Author's Note:**

> here is my third entry for the shyan scavenger hunt, and the third installment of my magical creature AU! this takes place pretty much directly after _what a strange magic_ , so you'll wanna read that first for context! this marks off the prompt "shared dreams," for the scavenger hunt!
> 
> big thanks to hannah as always, for beta'ing! 
> 
> hope you all enjoy, and big thanks to everyone who's enjoying the magical creature AU so far!!

Things are going great.

Ryan has hit his stride with the telepathy. Shane’s species is still a secret. The show is thriving more than ever.

Things are just—well, just about perfect.

It figures that things would take yet another turn for the decidedly weird.

 

 

Ryan blinks and the dream comes into hazy focus before him. He looks around cautiously, immediately wary. It’s the night after a shoot at a haunted location, and he always has the same dream on those nights: something scary, with lots of dark rooms and dead ends mingling with endless hallways. He’s come to accept it as a facet of his life, and has learned to brace himself in anticipation of the dream.

But this is different. The skies are overcast but not haunting; there’s sunlight on the horizon and Ryan looks toward it, can almost feel the warmth on his skin. It’s unsettling but liberating to know he’s in a dream, even if he gets the feeling he can’t guide it no matter how much he tries.

Something tells him this isn’t his sandbox to play in. That’s the most unsettling part of it all.

He meanders slowly through the vague and blurry streets. It’s not anywhere he recognizes, like his dreams sometimes are. It’s all foreign and unclear and he stumbles over the cobblestones—or maybe it’s gravel, maybe concrete, one second it’s even and the next it’s not, Ryan is sick of _tripping_ —trying to find his way.

“Look who it is.”

Ryan yelps, but it’s soundless in the dream. Like he’s in a fish tank, everything is dull and rebounds in his ears. He whips around wildly to find none other than Shane leaning up against a nearby brick wall. He’s dressed in tight skinny jeans and his typical red and black plaid and looks bizarrely out of place in the murky setting.

Ryan opens his mouth to reply, but then Shane is moving, walking toward him, walking _past_ him. Ryan turns sharply to watch him go, realizing Shane hadn’t been talking to him. His skin prickles at the uncertainty of what he might see—Shane with an ex, maybe? Or Shane with a stranger?

Ryan isn’t sure what would be worse. He reaches out after Shane but his fingertips don’t quite reach, and then Shane is gone, disappearing into the building suddenly much closer to them. The door opens as he slips inside, and Ryan faintly makes out the sound of people chattering, still dull and muted, before the road he’s standing on falls silent.

He takes one step toward the building before he’s falling suddenly. Then he’s shooting up in his bed panting, a cold sweat chilling on his skin.

“Mm,” Shane groans from beside him. “Ryan?”

“S’fine,” Ryan says hurriedly and hushed. “Just a weird dream.”

Shane hums and slaps a hand out at Ryan, urging him back down. “C’mere.” He holds up his arm until Ryan shuffles closer and tucks against his body. “That’s better.”

Ryan hides his smile against Shane’s neck, and he’s out like a light within seconds.

 

“I didn’t know demons dream,” he says offhandedly a few days later.

Shane looks up from his cereal. He’s got black frame glasses on—why, Ryan isn’t sure, since they’re at Shane’s apartment and he definitely doesn’t need them to see—and peers at Ryan over the rim of them. “What?”

“You dream,” Ryan says again before burying his mild mortification in a sip of orange juice.

Shane squints at him. “I mean, yeah. I do actually sleep. Just cuz I don’t need to doesn’t mean I’m faking it or something.”

Ryan curses the blush on his cheeks. “I saw your dream the other night.”

“What?” Shane asks again, eyes widening.

“I didn’t mean to,” Ryan hurries to assure. “It just, sorta, _happened_. And there was a road and buildings and you walked into one.” Ryan’s flailing a bit, and comes dangerously close to orange juice sloshing out of his glass. “I just—I dunno.”

One corner of Shane’s mouth lifts up. “That’s kinda cool.” He reaches across the tiny dining room table and taps at Ryan’s forehead. “Learnin’ new shit about that every day, huh?”

Ryan smacks at Shane’s hand but can’t help his grin. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Do you wanna experiment with this? See when it happens?” Shane asks as he returns to scrolling through his phone and shoveling cereal into his mouth. “I don’t mind taking some naps in the name of science.”

Ryan considers it, he really does. But the thought of more, more _training_ (if you can even call it that) kind of makes him want to cry. So he shakes his head and finishes off his orange juice. “Nah. I think it’ll be fine. I couldn’t interact with you anyway, so next time it happens I’ll just, GTFO or whatever.”

Shane nods. “I don’t mind if you stay,” he says, almost absently. “Sometimes you’re in my dreams anyway. Maybe I’d get to have two Ryans. Or maybe you’d take over as the Ryan in my dream.” Shane looks up with a considering expression on his face. A look that’s dreamy and contemplative. “The possibilities are endless. We might need to run some tests. For science.”

Ryan rolls his eyes. “Whatever.” He smiles into his egg and toast breakfast all the same.

 

 

The next time it happens, they’re on a shoot.

Ryan is wading through water and he knows it’s wrong from the get-go. He can feel it as a niggling sense in the back of his mind, the knowledge that this is not his space. He doesn’t feel obtrusive, but not exactly welcome, either. He keeps wading through water until he can feel the faint scrape of sand under his feet. It stays mostly smooth, no shells or oblong rocks underfoot.

Eventually, the water is down to his ankles but there’s no beach stretching before him like he expected. He’s walking into a mall. He doesn’t know how he knows, he just does—this mall is abandoned, potentially full of zombies, a conglomeration of a million other malls Shane’s ever been in.

Because that’s whose dream he’s in. Shane’s. Because they’re sleeping side by side in something of a blanket nest in a supposedly haunted house, and Ryan’s frankly surprised he’s stayed asleep this long.

He turns as something, a sound or a shadow, flashes in the corner of his eye, but he wakes up before he can do anything else. It’s not a cold sweat this time, and he’s not quite as panicked. Shane is still sleeping soundly beside him.

Ryan reaches out and tugs himself closer to Shane. He knows what it’ll look like on the cameras, and he doesn’t really care. Vaguely he’s aware of the house creaking around them, how it sounds like spirits howling for him. He closes his eyes against the looming shadows in the room.

He doesn’t sleep the rest of the night.

 

“You okay?” Shane asks him the next morning as they’re hauling everything into the car.

“Yeah,” Ryan says, swinging a backpack from his shoulder into the trunk. “Just, rough night.”

“You didn’t wake me up once,” Shane says with surprise lacing his tone. “Was it really that bad?” He moves and corners Ryan against the side of the car once the trunk is shut. Ryan flushes lightly and pushes at Shane.

“No, just. Saw your dream again, and it sort of unsettled me. And then I woke up in a haunted house which always sucks. I woke up at like, four this morning, and couldn’t fall back asleep.” Ryan shrugs. He tilts his head back and Shane obliges by brushing a kiss across his lips.

“Still available to try some naps for science,” Shane says teasingly as he steps back. He gestures Ryan to the passenger side door and goes for the driver’s side. “Try and get some sleep on the drive back to the hotel, okay?”

Ryan nods and lays his head against the glass. “Think we got any evidence?”

Shane snorts. “You wish.”

 

 

“I wonder if it would happen with other people.”

Ryan tugs one earbud out of his ear. “What with other people?”

Shane gestures to Ryan’s head. “The dream thing.”

Ryan’s mouth goes dry at the thought. He’s hurrying to speak before he’s even considered it. “I don’t want that. I don’t want to know.”

Even if he knows it’s rational to find out—what if he stays over someplace without Shane, or what if he goes home to visit his family and ends up in his _mom’s_ dream. He shudders at the very thought.

“I can barely handle being in _your_ dreams, I don’t think I could handle it with anyone else,” he continues.

Shane’s hand is warm and calming on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay, it was just a thought.”

Ryan groans and taps the spacebar on his laptop to pause the audio clip he’s listening to. He yanks out the other earbud and throws it onto his desk before dropping his head into his hands. He runs his fingers through his hair.

“You’re right, though.” As much as it pains Ryan to admit it; he has a responsibility to be, well, _responsible_ with his powers.

“Wow, Ryan admitting Shane is right?” Andrew’s drawling voice interrupts. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

Ryan looks up, hands still knotted distressingly in his own hair, to see the three Worth It boys standing beside the desk. “It happens,” he admits begrudgingly.

“Is everything okay?” Steven asks.

“Ryan’s been dream-hopping,” Shane says, letting his hand slip from Ryan’s shoulder. “It’s kinda freaking him out.”

All three pairs of eyes on him widen, and Ryan shoots a glare over his shoulder at Shane. _Really?_ He snipes, and Shane shrugs minutely.

“It’s nothing, really.” Ryan finally tugs his hands from his hair. He makes a valiant attempt at smoothing it down but gives up when he realizes he just doesn’t care.

“Dream-hopping?” Steven says curiously.

“Why don’t we do lunch?” Andrew asks. His hands are shoved deep in his pockets, and Ryan watches him look to Adam then Steven for encouraging nods. Ryan looks to Shane, who also nods.

“Sure,” Ryan says with a sigh. “Why the fuck not.”

 

When Steven had suggested a double date between the two couples, this wasn’t really what Ryan had in mind. Granted, he hasn’t given it a lot of thought; he’s still pretty sure Andrew and Adam are more than ready to rip him a new one for hurting Steven, even though that’s several months in the past now. Even though Ryan and Steven are closer to friends than they’ve ever been.

(Sometimes, though, when the Twitter roasts get a little _too_ hot, Ryan can feel eyes on him, and knows it’s Andrew or Adam. Or both.)

They end up in a quaint little deli, all five of them crammed into one circular booth tucked in the back corner of the joint. It’s a tight fit, with Ryan and Steven squeezed in the middle and flanked by their boyfriends. Their orders get taken and drinks are brought, before Steven turns to Ryan.

“So, dream-hopping?”

Ryan groans again. “Sometimes I end up Shane’s dreams. That’s it.” He shoots another glare at Shane for getting them into this mess. “It’s weird and I don’t like it, and so far it’s like, the worst part of being a telepath.”

All eyes are on him after he speaks and he wants to sink under the table. An awkward silence blooms in the aftermath and that only makes things worse. Shane’s voice filters into his head, a quiet and sincere, _I’m sorry_.

“It’s really not a big deal,” Ryan insists. “It’s just, weird. Like. Uncomfortable-weird.” He gestures to his head. “Head stuff.”

Steven looks all too enthralled. Andrew does too, in fact, and even Adam is leaning closer with interest.

He’s saved by their food arriving, but it only lasts for so long.

“We were just talking about how maybe it’s just a _me_ thing, or if it would happen if he slept near anyone else,” Shane says despite his earlier apology. He gestures to Ryan with a bite of chicken speared on his fork. “Ryan’s even more freaked out by _that_ idea.”

“It’s intrusive!” Ryan snaps. “It’s, ugh.” He rubs at the back of his neck, near where his head throbs with the knowledge when he’s somewhere he shouldn’t be. “It’s hard to describe.”

“You wanna test it?” Steven says.

“Careful, Ryan doesn’t like to call it that. He gets twitchy.”

Ryan kicks Shane under the table. “Jerk.”

“We could,” Steven continues, as if he hadn’t heard their little exchange. “I mean, if it would help.”

Ryan looks over at him, a spoonful of soup poised near his mouth. “Really, it’s fine.”

“Are you, Steven Lim,” Shane starts, and when Ryan shoots him a glance, he’s got his phone up. “Suggesting a Worth It-Unsolved sleepover?” Ryan doesn’t need to be a genius to know this is going to end up on Instagram.

Ryan groans. “Oh, fuck _you_.” He knows without looking back that Steven is undoubtedly sporting a wide grin.

“It’s hardly the weirdest thing we’ve ever done,” Shane says to Ryan lowly. Inside their heads, he says, _Sorry, this is getting out of hand. But it’s not the worst idea._

Ryan shakes his head. “I think, I think that’s too many people.” His heart rate jumps at the thought of it. Four separate minds to jump between, all at once? He shakes his head vehemently. “No.” He makes a show of eating his soup in large gulps. He doesn’t look at any of his other tablemates, even though he feels all their eyes on him again.

“What about just me?” Steven suggests. “Just us. Super chill. I’ll take the couch.”

Ryan doesn’t slow down in eating his soup; eventually, the rest of the table starts to eat too. This lunch is stretching absurdly long, and even though Buzzfeed doesn’t exactly care, Ryan is itching to get back to the office. The conversation drops as they all finish up eating and shuffle out of the booth. Shane, with his obnoxiously long legs, strides in the front of the group.

Ryan starts to pick up pace to keep up with him, but a hand curled around his elbow holds him back. He’s not surprised to find Steven forcing him to the back of the pack.

“I’m serious. You don’t have to take me up on it, but if you want to try it out with like, a third party. I’ll make the time.”

Ryan shakes his head, sort of a ‘no thanks,’ and sort of fond. “Okay. I’ll let you know.”

 

 

That’s how he finds himself with Steven Lim in his apartment for the first time ever, a week later. Shane hasn’t been over at all in that intervening week, and Ryan hasn’t stayed over at his place. It feels odd; like he’s seen so little of Shane even though that’s just not true.

“You look… not good,” Steven says, coming up to him at the threshold between his living room and kitchen.

“And you’re wearing Gudetama pajama pants.” They’re so long they pool at Steven’s feet, and Ryan wonders if they’d be the perfect length on Shane. The pajamas are actually sort of cute, loathe as Ryan is to admit it. He and Steven might be friends, that doesn’t mean he’s gotta be _that_ nice to the guy.

“You’re just jealous,” Steven says, “cuz they’re super soft.” He beams but his expression sobers quickly. “Are you okay?”

Ryan groans. “Yes! I’m just… nervous. I think I’m allowed to be nervous.” The second the words leave his mouth, he knows he’s being too sharp.

Steven’s answering look is stony.

“Sorry.”

Steven grins. “All good.”

Ryan shakes his head. “You all set up on the couch?”

Steven nods. “You have a ridiculously nice couch, I hope you realize this.” He wanders back into the living room and Ryan follows behind him, a few paces slower. “It’s like, _so nice_.” As if the emphasize his words, he falls onto the cushions.

Ryan snorts despite himself. “Thanks for doing this.”

Steven shrugs. “I think it’s pretty neat.”

“I can’t interact with Shane, though. I assume that’s same for anyone else. How is that fun? It just feels like I’m intruding on something I shouldn’t.”

“Well, yeah. But maybe you can figure out a way to interact. Or maybe you can use it to help people. Like, with nightmares and shit.”

Ryan shrugs, something of a concession. “Usually I’m the one having nightmares,” he admits lowly.

“Maybe you can help yourself, then. I bet Shane just dreams of being stupidly tall and lives in a world where he’s right all the time. You’d probably like to live like that for a while.”

A laugh bursts from Ryan’s chest and he can’t even muster the energy to flip Steven off. “I guess,” he admits, “that wouldn’t be the worst thing.”

Steven beams at him again, and that’s when Ryan decides it’s time for bed.

“Let me know if you need anything. I keep my phone turned up.”

Steven waves him off and starts to settle into the mess of blankets he’s accumulated on the couch. He likes to be comfy—Ryan had teased him, called him a _fancy boy_ , and Steven had only laughed—and his bed is made up of all of Ryan’s spare blankets as well as some Steven brought from home. It looks insane, but Steven looks happy, and he is helping Ryan so he doesn’t rib the guy too much about it.

He leaves his door slightly ajar as he slips into his bedroom. He crawls into his own bed and stares at his phone till his eyes start to droop. He shoots off a goodnight text to Shane, something that calms his racing heart, and he’s barely dropped his phone on his bedside table before he’s falling asleep.

 

He wakes up well-rested but wary. He’s flat on his back and takes a good long moment to stare at his popcorn ceiling. He’s keenly aware of how his mind had wandered in the night, same as it has every night. He knows his thoughts are searching for Shane’s, and the idea makes something comfortable and fluttery writhe in his stomach.

He didn’t enter Steven’s dreams, though. And while it’s far from definitive proof (a true scientist would keep trying, with different people, different conditions) Ryan feels comfortable calling it a success.

He rolls out of bed and runs a cursory hand through his hair before snatching up his phone and wandering back into his apartment. Steven’s still asleep on the couch, mouth hanging open, blankets pulled up to his chin.

Ryan snaps a picture and sends it, sans caption, to Andrew and Adam. Then he shifts gears and opens his thread with Shane. There’s a message waiting for him, sent in the seconds after Ryan had dozed off.

**from [shane]  
** _goodnight. good luck._

Frankly, it reads kind of ominous. But Ryan smiles all the same as he heads into his kitchen to start the Keurig.

**to [shane]  
** _no dream hopping_

A response comes in only seconds later, and Ryan rolls his eyes fondly.

**from [shane]  
** _neat. does this mean i can sleep over again?_

**to [shane]  
** _please_

Steven wanders into the kitchen while Ryan is still grinning down at his phone. “I’m assuming nothing happened.”

Ryan shakes his head. “Nada.”

Steven nods. “Cool. Is that coffee?”

 

 

Shane manages to wrangle him into trying out some more tests. Stuff like trying to interact with Shane in the dreams or trying to pull out before the dream decides to kick him out. Most of it is actually surprisingly successful. Slowly but surely, Ryan dreads sharing a bed less and less, especially as he gets a stronger grasp on escaping dreams sooner rather than later.

One night, they’re laying in bed, both on the brink of sleep when Shane speaks.

“Y’know, we share a bed. You didn’t share a bed with Steven. Maybe distance was a factor?”

Ryan twists his nipple as payback.

 

 

Ryan is no longer unsettled as he settles into the dream. It’s not anything familiar, but not inherently unfamiliar, either. There’s still the tingle in the back of his mind that seems to chant, _don’t belong, don’t belong_ , but it’s more of a dull murmur these days. He looks around and takes in the weird mish mash of details.

His couch is here, but the living room is Shane’s, except for the wallpaper which is all from Shane’s old apartment, and the lamp is definitely from Ryan’s place. It’s an amalgamation of their two apartments and a variety of other places, and it’s sort of fun to walk through. It’s hardly seamless, the designs all clash, but in this dream world, it doesn’t bother Ryan like it might otherwise.

He wanders in further and walks down a hallway. It’s dimly lit and he can’t make out any details until he comes across a slightly ajar bedroom door.

His neck heats up as he catches a faint sound drifting from what must be the bedroom.

_“Oh, fuck, Ryan.”_

Ryan reaches for the door and it opens under his delicate touch. He’s half-expecting what he finds but that doesn’t make him anymore prepared for it.

This scene is intimately familiar and Ryan’s whole body burns watching it unfold. The bed is Shane’s, but it’s crammed into Ryan’s bedroom and looks even larger for it. On the bed are Shane and _himself_. Dream Ryan, or something like it. He watches himself ride Shane’s cock, watches himself moan into Shane’s mouth as hands wander.

Shane’s hips buck and his hands work their way to cup Ryan’s ass, pull him impossibly closer and Ryan’s body burns at the knowledge of how deep Shane’s cock presses into him with that move. He squirms where he stands as he watches himself get fucked by Shane within an inch of his life. His mouth drops open and a soft keen falls from his throat without his permission, and then Shane’s gaze is snapping to him and—

He’s awake. He’s awake and hard and he’s kicking off the blankets faster than he can think. He’s overheating with arousal and shoves a hand into his boxers as he falls back against the pillows.

“Starting without me?” Shane murmurs in a sleep-heavy voice. He rolls over and places a hand on Ryan’s arm to still his movements. “Not fair.”

“Please. If anything _you_ were getting started without _me_.”

Shane smirks and ducks to press kisses along Ryan’s jaw. “Was hoping you’d see that.”

Ryan scoffs. “What, you planned that?”

“Not specifically tonight, but I’ve always sort of hoped.” Shane’s hand drifts down Ryan’s forearm until it slips under the waistband of his boxers and covers Ryan’s own hand. “S’kinda hot, isn’t it?”

Ryan moans but concedes with a nod. “Yeah. Real thing is better, though.”

Shane pulls back from lavishing hickeys over his neck to grin down at Ryan. His eyes are all black and his horns are showing, and his grin is toothy and sharp. Ryan shudders. “Yeah,” Shane agrees in a low tone.

Ryan whimpers as Shane’s hand moves past his cock to his balls, keeps going to brush against his hole. Shane leans down and mouths over his ear. “Wanna fuck you.”

Ryan nods. “Yeah, yeah, please.” He immediately misses Shane’s heat when he moves, but he listens for the bedside drawer opening and the bottle of lube hitting the bed. Shane’s hands move eagerly to Ryan’s boxers and yank them off without preamble.

Ryan, feeling exposed, watches Shane kick off his own briefs and drop them off the side of the bed.

“How do you feel about recreating that dream?” Shane says as he gets back on the bed. He’s already twisting to prop himself up against the headboard and patting his thighs.

Ryan’s not ashamed to admit he sort of scrambles to get into Shane’s lap as quickly as he can. They laugh as they go until Ryan stills and their hardening cocks brush together.

Shane hums appreciatively and runs his tongue over his teeth. “You look so good like this.” He reaches beside him for the lube and drizzles it carefully over three fingers. “You ready for it?”

Ryan nods and leans forward, pushing his ass out. Shane uses one hand to spread his ass, pulling a cheek aside, and brings his other hand to Ryan’s hole. Ryan’s mind is foggy as Shane sinks one finger into him, and he thinks back to the dream, how lewd it felt to watch him bouncing in Shane’s lap. He wonders what would’ve happened if he had tried to interact this time, but Ryan’s thoughts quickly derail.

Shane leans forward as he adds a second finger and secures his mouth around the ball of Ryan’s shoulder. He nips teasingly, slowly, and when he pulls back to ask, Ryan is a step ahead.

 _Yes, please._ He feeds the thought into Shane’s head, and is rewarded with a guttural moan.

Shane’s mouth opens wider and his longer teeth pierce the skin, sharp and burning. Ryan shudders under the attention even though it’s over in the blink of an eye. Shane can’t bite him too deep for too long, but Ryan chases the feeling of his blood rushing to the surface, blood vessels bursting under Shane’s worrying teeth.

Ryan slides a hand up Shane’s arm to his neck, into his hair and to his horns. He teases along the edge of skin where it splits to reveal the black, stiff peaks. Shane gasps hotly against Ryan’s bruised skin and slips a third finger inside Ryan.

“This is gonna be over way too fucking quick,” Shane hisses before kissing the bruising bitemark apologetically. The indents heal under his lips and Ryan knows angry red spots will be left in their wake. “Told you we should’ve been using your powers for sexy things.”

Ryan laughs as he grinds back against Shane’s long fingers. They brush over his prostate and a shiver runs up his spine. “Yeah,” he agrees. He means to agree to the first thing Shane said but finds that he can’t really disagree with the second part, either. He wraps an arm around Shane’s shoulders and leans up to kiss the base of a horn.

Shane lets out a broken whine and his fingers slip from Ryan. “Fuck, Ryan.”

He nods and rises up on his knees and lets Shane guide him down. The entire time, as Shane’s thick cock splits him open inch by inch, he presses tender kisses to each of Shane’s horns. It takes what feels like an eternity to take all of Shane’s prick, but it’s so good, it’s worth the wait. He exhales a breathy sigh before he leans back and clenches around Shane.

“Fuck,” Shane hisses again. His eyes are fluttering but they’re still endless black, and Ryan feels himself getting lost in them. Just like the dream, Shane’s hands both slide around to Ryan’s ass and use the grip to tug him closer, grind his dick deeper into Ryan. Shane’s nails bite into the skin of Ryan’s ass, pinpricks of pain that make Ryan crave more.

He falls forward and breathes against Shane’s cheek. “C’mon, let go.” He nuzzles at Shane’s cheek before catching his lips in a kiss. _Wanna feel you_ , he sneaks the thought into Shane’s own.

Shane slips down on the bed and plants his feet flat on top of the sheets to snap his hips up into Ryan. He grits his teeth and his grip on Ryan’s ass tightens. “Don’t want to hurt you, Ry.”

Ryan shakes his head. “Don’t care.” He reaches back and lets his fingertips glide over Shane’s hands. “C’mon, just do it, Shane.”

Shane looks up at him, and for a split second his eyes flash back to their comforting brown. “You sure?” His concern is warranted, and it settles warm in the pit of Ryan’s stomach. Shane’s claws are something he’s generally reluctant to break out, for how sharp they are, especially against skin.

But Ryan kind of loves it.

So he nods and clenches around Shane again. “M’sure.”

Shane blinks again and his eyes are black once more. “Okay.” He slips down further until his head is on the pillow. He starts to thrust again, slow but deep, and Ryan shudders as the air ripples around them.

Ryan jumps when he feels the first welt across his asscheek. It’s thin and light but he knows it’ll stay red for days. He nods frantically and leans forward to brace his hands against Shane’s chest. He rolls his hips back against Shane’s thrusts and startles each time Shane’s nails scrape against his skin.

It’s so much like the dream but it’s also _better_ , just like Ryan said. He can hear Shane clearly, even his thoughts which are a jumble of lust-crazy phrases. He can _feel_ Shane, how he cuts deep and thrusts deeper, taking Ryan apart in exactly the right way.

He can taste Shane as he leans in for another kiss and glides his tongue along Shane’s teeth, sharp enough to hurt but not enough to bleed.

Ryan opens his mouth but all that tumbles out is a moan, sweet sound after sound and eventually he latches onto Shane’s thoughts.

 _Gonna come,_ he pushes the thought into Shane’s head when he can’t form the words.

Shane’s response is instantaneous and emitted as a low growl. “Do it, Ryan.” One clawed hand pulls away from Ryan’s ass but curls around his cock before Ryan can complain.

The sturdy, too-hot grip is what pushes him over the edge. His body jerks and writhes as he comes, and his back bows as he shoots come over Shane’s fingers, over his stomach.

In the back of his mind, he picks up on Shane’s own frantic thoughts— _Ryan, fuck, fuck!_ And then Shane is coming too. It’s slick and deep inside Ryan; the sensation sends waves of pleasure up his spine. His cock, still engulfed by Shane’s hand, gives a feeble twitch.

They don’t move as they catch their breath, and Shane is the first to recover. His claws shift back to fingers and dance delicately over Ryan’s abused skin. His clean fingers run over the welts on his ass, pressing against them to wring a gasp from Ryan’s swollen lips. He wipes his hand stained with come on the bedsheets first, then brings it to the bite mark on Ryan’s shoulder.

“God, I swear,” Shane starts. “There’s nothing better than feeling you in my head.”

Ryan blinks, surprised if still foggy from his orgasm. “Really?”

Shane doesn’t look at him as he speaks. His eyes are trained on the bite instead, on his finger tracing the reddened edges intently. “Yeah. Feels nice.”

Ryan doesn’t know what to do with that information. He no longer feels as obtrusive in dreams, doesn’t feel quite so out of place now that he has a better handle on it all. But he’s never considered it comfortable, and even sharing thoughts takes its toll. It’s a fun power to have, but not one Ryan would’ve actively chosen for himself.

Shane shrugs and it pulls Ryan’s attention back to him. “I don’t know how to describe it,” he admits. “It just feels good. Right.”

Ryan sinks down to wrap his arms around Shane as best he can. _I love you._

Shane’s hand wanders up his back to comb through his hair. “Love you too,” he murmurs against Ryan’s cheek.

Grinning, Ryan can’t help but tease. “S’no fun when you don’t do it back.”

Shane rolls his eyes.  


End file.
